


On High Seas

by CrystallineX



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Pirate, F/M, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) Swears, Like a sailor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2014-12-15
Packaged: 2018-02-28 11:53:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2731460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystallineX/pseuds/CrystallineX
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Under the command of Commander Erwin's rebellion, Captain Levi's crew is cut down to half from their last encounter with the Navy Police. Erwin has hired some more hands to replace them, but the Captain has an uneasy feeling about some of the new recruits. Especially the odd one wearing goggles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lost Hands, New Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I blame Patrick for getting me into Shingeki no Kyojin.

**Prologue**

It was utter chaos; the clashing of cutlass against sword, the booming of cannons, and a raging storm to top it all off.

The turbulent ocean surrounded the ship, and the ship was flooded with a sea of bloody bodies.

Amongst the mess, a rather short man darted around with frightening speed, leaving the enemy momentarily unaware of their fatal wounds in his wake until they fell to the ground, dead. Able to wield swords in both hands, the trait had earned him the nickname the 'Dual Death'. He didn't even use the swords the same way in both hands; he made unconventional moves that increased his reach, and the asymmetrical ambidextrousness was a specialty coveted by many. A few had actually lost limbs trying to learn the style, leaving others leery to even try.

At this point, the 'Dual Death' was making up for the half of his crew who had given up their lives for a cause that they viewed as necessary.

The aforementioned 'Dual Death' was named Levi Ackerman, and he and his half-annihilated crew worked for the Wings of Freedom.

The Wings of Freedom had been an independence movement founded against the corrupt government over a century before. A century and twelve commanders passed and the current Commander was Erwin Smith – under which the Wings of Freedom had flourished considerably, having been organized into a small army of networks.

The tangled army of networks had been left in Erwin's hands to sort out. They were composed of those upset with the increasing gap between the rich and the poor due to the rising taxes and corrupt government. A few of the aristocrats recognized the corruption and secretly funded the Wings of Freedom's cause. That didn't stop Levi from deriding all the aristocrats, as he referred to them as 'indolent shits' that 'paid others to do the shitty work while sat on their asses and just watched as the shit went down'. After hearing Levi's opinion of aristocrats, Erwin had cautioned Levi not to speak in the their presence, lest their funds be cut short.

The network also included two ships, one captained by Levi Ackerman, deadly loyal to his crew, and the other by Mike Zacharius, who always seemed to know what the weather would be like the day before...with his nose.

Their ships were disguised as those of pirates, but they stored away the official Wings of Freedom flag for special instances, to prove that they were not real pirates to allies. Whilst not pillaging forts carefully selected by Erwin, they made it their job to move reverse traffic humans; that is, traffic humans to safety, instead of auctioning them off for money or making them slaves. And stealing from any  _real_ pirates they encountered. That made both the government _and_ real pirates their enemies.

In other words, the Wings of Freedom had been fighting an uphill battle until Erwin had swooped in and organized things, bringing with him leadership, passion, intelligence, and an eye for potential. And due to Erwin's eye for potential, Levi had had been recruited and with his fighting skills proven by just a few Ocean Excursions, quickly risen to being a captain of a ship. 

But the 56th Ocean Excursion to free slaves had gone terribly wrong.

It was supposed to be one of the simpler missions that didn't even involve pillaging, but they had been unlucky and run into a Navy fleet chasing after a real pirate ship.

Needless to say, that was when things had gone to hellfire; Levi could only count his shitty blessings that no slaves had been aboard the ship when they had been attacked on both sides. 

He briefly wished that the downpour of rain would put out the metaphorical hellfire, but had the presence of mind to slash his way to the helm of his ship and maneuver it so he could escape into the storm.

* * *

 "...and that concludes the report of the shittiest mission I've been on, to date." Levi was not one to really be bothered about his height at this point, but he still felt some grim satisfaction as he looked down at his commanding officer as he deadpanned his depressing report. If anybody were to describe Levi, the word would be a short and apathetic, with a touch of hostility hinted by the perpetual scowl etched onto his face. What they would not guess was that he was a man who had lost over half his crew. Logic told Levi it wasn't his fault, but it was  _he_  who had been captain of the ship at the time, so their blood was on  _his_ hands.

Sure, there were casualties during the pillaging process, but never to this extent. He'd known each of their small quirks, been able to read their body language... and he'd lost them because fuckin' Lady Luck had turned her fuckin' back and smiled her shitty smile upon the shitty government instea-

"So we need to recruit more hands." Erwin sighed, cutting Levi's vitriolic thoughts short. Levi suppressed a snort. Erwin had never been much for dwelling. And Levi himself had never believed in Lady Luck, either. Luck could go fuck herself if she  _did_ exist. 

"I'll recruit hands  _after_  my ship is fixed, Erwin." Levi informed his commander.

Erwin calmly replied, "I know how precious Isabel is to you, and repairing her is of utmost importance. But the more personnel you have, the faster your ship will be repaired. And you said that you lost your mechanic too? Mike's ship can't fulfill all of the missions that Isabel should be out there doing forever."

Resisting gritting his teeth at Erwin's logic, Levi curtly said, "Fine. I'll recruit replacements, and _then_ rebuild my ship." He spun on his heel and began to head toward the door.

"Levi." Erwin's firm voice caused Levi to stop in his tracks and look over his shoulder, silently acknowledging his attention. 

"You won't be recruiting the replacements. I'll have Erd or Gunther do it in your stead."

That was the last straw, and Levi finally lost his handle on his composure and snapped, "The fuck I'm leaving the hiring of _my_ crew to _anyone_ other than me! I need to be able _trust_ my crew!"

"And you trust Erd and Gunther, don't you? They are good judges of character."

Levi hissed, "And you're saying I'm not?"

Erwin met Levi's stormy grey eyes with his calm blue ones. "I'm suggesting _, Captain,_ that at least a single night's rest would do you some good after your losses." Levi's anger lost steam when he heard the 'suggestion'. Erwin knew him better than anyone now, Levi realized, as the Commander continued, "I'll oversee the hiring of your new hands myself, if you so wish. I have some free time."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room, at least from Levi's point of view. Then he answered snippily, "Commanders sure have a cushy job, sitting on their asses all day, with time left over to hire their own captain's crew members." But Levi's words lacked bite. Both Levi and Erwin knew the job of Commander didn't have any time to spare; Levi took the bait anyway, to show his gratitude in his own skewed way, reminding the Commander, "Remember my rules for hands on my deck. No females."

Erwin raised an eyebrow. "I never understood that rule of yours, Levi. You don't seem to mind women doing men's work for anything else. Unless you're a hypocrite?"

Sparing a disdainful look on his face, Levi answered, "It's fine on land. But when males and females mix in a small space, things get messy, and you know how much I hate messes. So no females allowed."

A ghost of a smile played across Erwin's lips as he spoke once more. "Well, it shouldn't take too long to repair your ship. I already have a mechanic in mind, and this one comes in a package deal."

Normally, Levi would have wondered what Erwin meant, but he was too tired to contemplate the Commander's words that day. He just wanted to go home, take a hot bath, and pretend he could scrub himself clean of the many losses that day.

He should have known that Erwin had a penchant for hiring oddballs.

After all, he was living proof of that.

* * *

When the time came the day after the next and Levi was to first meet the replacements of his crew, he was fully reminded of Erwin's habit, as his eye was drawn to one end of the line of recruits, where someone was squatting and tinkering with something using a slender tool. Pursing his lips, Levi started with the other end.

He no longer found it humiliating to have to look up to a recruit; Levi knew he had enough power to extinguish whatever will the pathetic recruits had in them if he so wished.

"What's your name, recruit?" The captain's voice, though quiet, was deadly.

"Eren Jaeger, sir!"

The boy's green eyes were filled with a fervor unmatched except in those of seasoned warriors. He would do. Levi strolled to the next one, who looked powerful, but feminine. If he didn't know better, he'd have thought that Erwin had picked a lass. 

"And you?"

"Mick Ackerman." The way the recruit spoke was reminiscent of his, not in manner, but the deadliness hidden behind the calm facáde, and Levi had to keep his eyes from widening at the surname.

"Oh? Ackerman, you say?" Though Levi was curious, he wasn't quite curious enough to ask a recruit things besides names right off the bat. It would be showing interest, and interest, in his mind, equated to favoritism – something he didn't approve of. He moved on and found himself in a rare situation where he was looking down at a recruit. This recruit looked even girlier than the one before. "Your name?" At least the last one had defined arm muscles; this one looked so fragile he would blow away like a twig if he happened upon a storm. He would have said Erwin was slipping, but the man had contingency plans for contingency plans, and Levi had learnt long ago not to judge a book by its cover.

"A-Armin Arlert, Captain!"

Great. This Armin character didn't even have the self confidence to make up for what he lacked in physical attributes. Erwin better have seen something  _exceptional_  in the brat. 

And so the introduction of the new recruits went on, until near the end, he supposed he had finally reached what Erwin had referred to as the 'package deal'; they were bunched together, not unlike the first three.

"You." 

The tall, brown-haired recruit with a buzzcut stepped forward. "The name is Keiji, Captain."

"Just Keiji?" Levi asked in monotone.

"Just Keiji for as long as I remember, sir." was the reply.

Suppressing a roll of his eyes, Levi moved on. "And you?"

"Moblit Berner, Captain!"

These guys seemed ordinary enough, though the latter seemed a bit high strung, trying and failing to subtly nudge his goggled neighbor to stand at attention. Levi stared down at the person who had been squatting and taking apart a gadget all during the introduction, paying no attention to Levi.

At all.

So Levi stepped right in front of the last recruit, allowing his shiny, swashbuckling boots to enter the horizon of the vision of the goggled recruit, and waited until he was noticed.

After a painfully long time, the person Levi had already nicknamed as "Shitty Goggles" in his mind finally looked up. "Hmm?" Finally noticing Levi, the goggled anomaly dropped both tool and gadget and shot up, pushing up the goggles into unkempt dark chestnut-colored hair. Unlike the other recruits, a bright smile bloomed across Shitty Goggles' face. Immediately, a hand shot out toward Levi, supposedly for a handshake, which Levi uncomfortably ignored. "Levi Ackerman, right? I'm Hanji Zoe, your new mechanic! You've already met Moblit and Keiji, right? They're my assistants, but no worries, I'm sure these two won't mind if you want to borrow them, right?" The creepily wide smile turned on the poor companions who had no choice but to nod nervously.

As soon as Levi led his new recruits to meet the rest of his crew that was working repairs on Isabel, Shitty Goggles went crazy about how beautiful the ship was, even when almost half the stern had been reduced to splinters.

Feeling a headache coming on, Levi somehow knew things would never be the same on his ship ever again. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I got a bit too technical with the history behind the Wings of Freedom, but this'll be the only chapter where it'll be so text-book-like.


	2. The Strange Ones

**On High Seas**

Chapter 2 – The Strange Ones

* * *

It seemed that Erwin's hiring instincts were right, as usual.

The girly blond – Armin – turned out to be a mini-Erwin in terms of strategy and organization. What Levi didn't understand was why Erwin hadn't taken the brat under his own wing. Perhaps it was because Armin was a bit idealistic and the Commander had thought real life experience on the sea would wash off some of the rose-colored dye that hindered his vision.

The taller but still girly recruit that the captain shared a surname with, Levi hadn't spoken directly with yet. The captain had decided that since the recruit had come to him first, he would wait for Mick to follow through and broach the subject first as well, to finish the job. Still, Levi kept an eye on the kid who had indirectly claimed to share the surname 'Ackerman'. And he saw potential. The kid was strong, adapted quickly, and excelled at fencing, to boot. He would see just how talented the kid was on a mission. 

But it was the first and last people that had stood (and squatted) in the recruit line that took up most of his attention.

The first, Eren, was one of the most hot-headed, justice-filled, passionate, and angry pain-in-the-ass teenagers Levi had ever had the misfortune of being in charge of. It would have been fine if it were Eren alone, but he always seemed to butt heads with another recruit (who honestly pissed Levi off because of his half-hearted attitude toward everything) named Jean. Thankfully, Mick always mediated between the two and pulled the two apart before things came to blows. 

When Mick wasn't around and Eren got into a fight with Jean again, Levi did what he did best: bashed their heads, handed them a sandstone each, and then made them clean the ship deck until it sparkled. Levi was inclined to silently agree with Eren, because he  _despised_ half-hearted bastards and wouldn't have let Jean step  _foot_ onto his ship if it weren't Erwin who had hired him. But half-hearted shit (that was currently scrubbing the dock down) aside, Eren strangely seemed to drain Levi's energy a bit more than the other recruits did. It wasn't like the kid was high maintenance or anything; he worked himself to the bone to learn how to work the sails and fight. Maybe it was because he and Mick were practically joined at the hip and it took extra effort to ignore the two, with one a royal pain and the other possibly a relative.

The last one… well. Levi's new mechanic was, to put it lightly, a bit manic. If you were to ask the captain himself about it, he would say that the Shitty Goggles was bat shit crazy, high on opium (though he had no proof of the latter), and too obsessed with tinkering for _anybody's_ good. Levi felt sorry for the assistants, but he wouldn't trade all the earl-grey tea and classy tea sets in the world to be in their boots.

The first time he saw their tomfoolery, he didn't so much first  _see_ it as  _feel_ it from the floor above.

Levi had been enjoying a cup of earl-grey tea when the tea set before him started to tremble and shake. He was on his feet in less than a second nearly tumbled down the stairs to the cellar in half the time of what it would have taken. Rushing down the hallway, he froze at the sight.

Shitty Goggles was happily tearing away at the oaken boards on the side of the ship, ordering Keiji and Moblit around to replace them with new,  _unidentifiable_ ones. Levi had spent his fair time on different types of ships, but he had never seen the type of wood that was replacing the boards that looked rather musty by his standards, but otherwise _completely fine._ Levi dearly wanted to ask them what  _the hell_ they were doing, but he chose to wait it out, watching board by board being thrown aside, waiting for the trio to notice him. Which didn't take much time, as Moblit seemed to be very sensitive of killing energy radiating from Levi.

"C-captain Levi, sir!" Moblit shakily saluted, bringing Levi to the attention of Keiji who saluted as well. Unfortunately, the goggled monstrosity was too excited at the prospect of _mangling the walls of his ship_  to notice the ship's captain himself in the flesh standing nearby. 

When the crazy mechanic noticed that nothing was getting replaced, Levi finally was noticed. Not reacting to Levi's killing intent at all, Shitty Goggles merely gave the captain a puzzled look. "Oh? What are you doing here?"

Levi had to force himself to reign his temper in. "In case you've forgotten, I'm the captain of this ship."

The mechanic's face didn't change. "Yeah, but what's a captain doing down in the cellars?"

Gritting his teeth, Levi ground out, "I think the better question is what the hell you're doing to my ship."

Shitty Goggles didn't even blink. "I'm improving her."

Sweeping his eyes over the wreckage incredulously, Levi asked with an edge in his voice, "I fail to see how destruction is part of the improvement process."

Boisterous laughter was the response Levi received. "Nonsense! These oaken boards can't even  _compare_ with the cedar that I'm having Moblit and Keiji replace them with. White cedar is so much lighter, and lighter means faster!" If only this weren't a mechanic that Erwin had recommended...Levi thought murderously when Shitty Goggles mused, "I would have used balsa wood if it were available in this area, but – "

"Oi, Shitty Goggles." Levi cut off the mechanic's line of thought before it got too carried away. "Just how much of Isabel are you planning to  _improve_?"

Shrugging off the unflattering nickname like it was nothing, the mechanic answered after consideration, "Well, I planned on renovating the heavier and more easily accessible places on the ship." Catching the look in Levi's eyes, the mechanic assured, "Don't worry, I'm a _mechanic_ , and spent my fair share of time fixing ships; I  _do_ know the importance of balance." Hands pushed up the goggles, revealing serious brown eyes. "But speed is also important for ships like this." Posture straightening, the uncharacteristically serious voice continued, "I was under the impression part of the reason your last mission failed was because Isabel wasn't fast enough."

Pursing his lips, Levi regarded the mechanic with dark eyes, as if seeing Hanji for the first time. He was shocked by the sober look revealed in the eyes hidden behind goggles most of the time. Finally, he silently acknowledged Hanji as he turned to return above deck. But he threw over his shoulder, "And I suppose speed will make up for making Isabel look like a patchwork quilt?"

Any seriousness emitting from the mechanic was gone, goggles back over eyes. "Yes. If it bothers you that much, I suppose we can stain the wood before hammering it in."

Levi swiveled his head forward. "Please. It'll be an absolute eyesore if you replace the planks as they are."

From then on, every time Levi passed Hanji and co., there was clanging sounds and excited (and agitated) shouting. After the first few times he checked on the trio and found the damaged area better than before, Levi took to avoiding any sounds that indicated that the Crazy Mechanic was working in the area.

…Which was harder than he thought it would be, as after the first encounter, the mechanic actively sought Levi out for permission to _improve_  certain crucial parts of Isabel. Which he was leery of, because Shitty Goggles' definition of 'improving' something _always_ meant taking it apart first. 'Taking apart' being a gentle term, 'dismantling' a more accurate one, and in Levi's eyes 'destruction' was the only way to put it.

One such occasion found Levi cornered and uncharacteristically agitated.

"Levi, can I pleasetake a look at the rigging? I _promise_ Isabel will be faster than ever!" 

"No."

"Please please  _please?_ "

Levi suppressed a groan. Gods above, Shitty Goggles had gone to the lengths of pushing up the grimy goggles and staring down at him with large doe eyes. "For the last time,  _no._ And that's final. Now move your ass out of my way."

He forcefully pushed past Hanji, failing to notice the determined expression on the mechanic's face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Next chapter might be the next Ocean Excursion!


End file.
